Hooahman
02-17-2005, 21:18
A Parris Island recruit died Tuesday afternoon during water survival training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot pool.
Details of the incident weren't available Tuesday evening. Maj. Ken White, the depot's public affairs officer said he hadn't received the full report on the incident.
"It's just too preliminary for me to be able to characterize what happened specifically," White said.
White said it shouldn't be inferred that the recruit drowned.
"That would not be an accurate description," he said. "We just don't know."
Water survival instructors performed CPR on the recruit at the pool, and the depot's emergency medical personnel were on the scene within minutes, according to a Parris Island news release.
The recruit was taken by ambulance to Beaufort Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 2:30 p.m., the release states.
An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday morning at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, Beaufort County death investigator Lt. Bob Bromage said.
"At this point, we know he's deceased," Bromage said. "We don't know what happened."
The depot has launched an investigation into the incident, according to the release.
The recruit was in his fifth week of training and was attempting to qualify at Combat Water Survival 4 -- the lowest level at which all recruits must qualify -- which includes a 25-meter shallow water swim, a jump off a 10-foot tower, 4 minutes of treading water and a 25-meter deep water swim.
The training staff assigned to the recruit's battalion has spoken with his fellow recruits and will continue to help them cope with the incident, White said, adding that he expects a memorial service to be planned.
"There's no indication now to believe that training of his fellow recruits will be interrupted," he said.
As of Tuesday evening, the depot was attempting to notify the recruit's family. Department of Defense policy mandates a 24-hour waiting period after family
notification before releasing the recruit's name.
This was the second recruit death at Parris Island in less than three months. Bret C. Moran, 18, of Bronx, N.Y., was found dead early Nov. 18, 2004, during the 54-hour Crucible event.
Details on Moran's cause of death and the results of an investigation into the incident have not been released but "are expected soon," White said.
Details of the incident weren't available Tuesday evening. Maj. Ken White, the depot's public affairs officer said he hadn't received the full report on the incident.
"It's just too preliminary for me to be able to characterize what happened specifically," White said.
White said it shouldn't be inferred that the recruit drowned.
"That would not be an accurate description," he said. "We just don't know."
Water survival instructors performed CPR on the recruit at the pool, and the depot's emergency medical personnel were on the scene within minutes, according to a Parris Island news release.
The recruit was taken by ambulance to Beaufort Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 2:30 p.m., the release states.
An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday morning at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, Beaufort County death investigator Lt. Bob Bromage said.
"At this point, we know he's deceased," Bromage said. "We don't know what happened."
The depot has launched an investigation into the incident, according to the release.
The recruit was in his fifth week of training and was attempting to qualify at Combat Water Survival 4 -- the lowest level at which all recruits must qualify -- which includes a 25-meter shallow water swim, a jump off a 10-foot tower, 4 minutes of treading water and a 25-meter deep water swim.
The training staff assigned to the recruit's battalion has spoken with his fellow recruits and will continue to help them cope with the incident, White said, adding that he expects a memorial service to be planned.
"There's no indication now to believe that training of his fellow recruits will be interrupted," he said.
As of Tuesday evening, the depot was attempting to notify the recruit's family. Department of Defense policy mandates a 24-hour waiting period after family
notification before releasing the recruit's name.
This was the second recruit death at Parris Island in less than three months. Bret C. Moran, 18, of Bronx, N.Y., was found dead early Nov. 18, 2004, during the 54-hour Crucible event.
Details on Moran's cause of death and the results of an investigation into the incident have not been released but "are expected soon," White said.